One of the most talked about social problems is gender inequality. This is a problem that has had a negative impact on women all around the world. Many people think this is a relatively new problem that has only been around for a few hundred years. But gender inequality has been around for thousands of years, even as far back as the ancient Greeks. In the Odyssey, gender inequality is expressed when Calypso is forced to allow Odysseus to leave her island by Zeus. In her speech to Hermes, Calypso complains that the male gods are hypocritical when it comes to relationships with mortals. The male gods are free from criticism when they take a mortal partner, but when a goddess lies with a mortal man it suddenly becomes taboo. Throughout her speech, Calypso appeals to the values and emotions of the gods in order to express the obvious inequality. The purpose of Calypso’s speech is to make a point to the
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She begins her speech by insulting the gods directly. "Oh, you vile gods, in jealousy supernal!" (124). By calling the gods "vile" she is expressing her own frustrations while also trying to anger Hermes. She then says, "You hate it when we choose to lie with men- immortal flesh by some dear mortal side" (125-26). She is telling Hermes that the gods openly discriminate against the goddesses when they interfere with their relationships. She also seems to mock the gods by calling them peevish or touchy at one point. "So radiant Dawn once took to bed Orion until you easeful gods grew peevish at it" (127-28). To say that someone is peevish is to say they are easily irritated by unimportant things. The word peevish is usually used to describe someone, particularly a woman, who allows minor incidents to bother them. By using this word, Calypso is saying that the gods aren't as tough as they perceive themselves to be if the private matters of the goddesses are enough to aggravate
She begins her speech by insulting the gods directly. "Oh, you vile gods, in jealousy supernal!" (124). By calling the gods "vile" she is expressing her own frustrations while also trying to anger Hermes. She then says, "You hate it when we choose to lie with men- immortal flesh by some dear mortal side" (125-26). She is telling Hermes that the gods openly discriminate against the goddesses when they interfere with their relationships. She also seems to mock the gods by calling them peevish or touchy at one point. "So radiant Dawn once took to bed Orion until you easeful gods grew peevish at it" (127-28). To say that someone is peevish is to say they are easily irritated by unimportant things. The word peevish is usually used to describe someone, particularly a woman, who allows minor incidents to bother them. By using this word, Calypso is saying that the gods aren't as tough as they perceive themselves to be if the private matters of the goddesses are enough to aggravate